1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multielectrode probe for use in an electrophysiology test performed prior to therapies for tachycardiac arrhythmia such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an electrophysiology test performed prior to therapies for tachycardiac arrhythmia is performed by using a plurality of cardiac catheters. The arrangement of each cardiac catheter is that one or two to six electrodes are formed around the tip of a hollow catheter, and lead wires are extended through this hollow catheter and connected to a measurement device. Measurements for a left heart portion are performed by inserting the catheter into a coronary sinus. However, since it is difficult to insert the catheter into a right coronary artery, measurements for a right heart portion must be performed by moving the position one point after another from inside a ventricle, resulting in a very cumbersome examination. Consequently, one examination requires a few hours.
This conventional examination method further has the following problems. First, since the examination is done by using the catheters each having few electrodes, finding a portion to be diagnosed, such as an accessory pathway, is time-consuming. In addition, since the number of the electrodes is small, the distance between the individual electrodes must be increased to measure a wide region. This makes it difficult to accurately find the accessory pathway. Furthermore, the use of a plurality of catheters imposes a large load on a patient.
To solve the above problem that a portion to be diagnosed is difficult to find, it may be possible to increase the number of electrodes. If, however, the number of electrodes of the conventional electrode catheter is increased, the number of signal lines for transmitting signals must also be increased, resulting in a large outer diameter of the catheter. This consequently makes it difficult to insert the catheter into a right coronary artery in examining a right heart portion. In addition, since an electrode is formed at the end of a signal line, an operation for connecting the signal line and the electrode is required. This makes the manufacture of a multielectrode catheter more difficult.